Dems say they’re standing up for convictions

Shortly after Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst announced that the governor had called a special session for Tuesday morning and then gaveled the 82nd regular session to an anticlimactic end, Senate Democrats gathered at the press table and ruminated about what the filibuster by state Sen. Wendy Davis the night before had wrought and what they expect from a special session. Here’s a sampling of what they said.

Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin: “This session’s over. We now move to a special session. It’s important that we again continue to advocate on behalf of the people of this state the priorities of this state. So we will have another opportunity to advocate on behalf of our priorities. . .

“This budget redefines broken as normal. That’s what this budget does. It takes what is an agreed-to and recognized broken system and says, ‘We’re just going to redefine the system and call that normal. . . .’ It’s also a system, as I’ve pointed out over and over again, that’s filled, filled, with diversions of people’s tax dollars for other purposes. This legislature refused to reform it.”

Someone asked the Democrats if they were pursuing a risky strategy by providing the governor with an excuse to call a special session, where he can push through some of his pet issues, including “sanctuary cities.”

Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston: “You have to stand up for what you believe. You’ve got to represent your district and your convictions.”

Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo: “Rick Perry needs to remember that he is the governor of all Texans, not simply for one party or for the base of one party.”

Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth: “We’re talking about what has been called the new normal for Texas. The new normal is the funding formula that was advanced as part of Senate Bill 1811. That formula takes $4 billion away, $4 billion less than our school districts are currently receiving. It’s a new normal that for the first time says we are not going to fund student population growth in the state of Texas.

“Our constituencies expect us to be here representing them on their priorities. Their number-one priority is the quality of public education for their children. They sent us here to do that, we started this conversation at the beginning of the session talking about how important that was, talking about the fact that that was our priority. And let’s face it, we spent a lot of time on other issues that didn’t have anything to do with that priority. We didn’t get the final picture of what the funding formula would look like until the day we were expected to vote on it yesterday, and quite frankly our constituencies haven’t had an opportunity to provide their input on that. But I do know this: They do not want $4 billion cut from public education.

“If we stand up for our communities and we demand more for public education, and in response to that we will be threatened with a number of other issues that will be harmful to Texas, it’s irresponsible governance. We don’t own that. The presidential hopeful, Gov. Perry, will own that.”

State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston: The [rainy day fund] is going to be replenished very quickly. You don’t have to use all of it.”

Ellis blamed “a lack of political courage to go in and do a thorough review of all those tax breaks in the state’s taxation system.”